La Palma (DO) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
La Palma DOP

Wine region
La Palma DOP in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the region of the Canary Islands
Official name	D.O.P. La Palma
Type	Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP)
Year established	1994
Country	Spain
No. of vineyards	585 hectares (1,446 acres)
No. of wineries	17
Wine produced	2,981 hectolitres
Comments	Data for 2016 / 2017

Wine from La Palma

La Palma is a special place in Spain, part of the beautiful Canary Islands. It's known for making unique wines! These wines have a special label called Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP). This means 'Protected Designation of Origin'. This label makes sure that wines from La Palma are truly from this island. It also means they follow certain rules to be high quality. La Palma got this special recognition for its wines in 1994.

The La Palma DOP covers the entire island of La Palma. Imagine about 600 hectares (that's like 1,500 acres) of vineyards! These vineyards are planted along the coast. But they can be found at very different heights. They range from 200 meters (about 650 feet) up to 1,500 meters (about 4,900 feet) above sea level. The DOP is divided into three main areas.

• Hoyo de Mazo: This area includes towns like Villa de Mazo, Breña Baja, Breña Alta, and Santa Cruz de la Palma. It's in the high central part of the island.
• Fuencaliente: This area covers Fuencaliente, El Paso, Los Llanos de Aridane, and Tazacorte. It is located in the south of the island.
• Norte de la Palma: This area includes Puntallana, San Andrés y Sauces, Barlovento, Garafía, Puntagorda, and Tijarafe. It is located in the north of the island.

The Land and Weather

The soils on La Palma are very rich and fertile. They lie over volcanic rock. In some places, the soil is covered with a layer of volcanic sand. This makes the soil light and easy for water to pass through. It's also full of good minerals for the grapevines. The soil has a slightly acidic pH level.

The climate on La Palma is warm and sub-tropical. The island gets about 400 millimeters (about 16 inches) of rain each year. However, the amount of rain can be very different between the north, south, and central parts of the island. Sometimes, strong winds and storms can cause a little damage to the grapevines.

Types of Grapes Used

Many different types of grapes are allowed to be grown for La Palma wines. These grapes give the wines their unique flavors.

• Red Grapes:
  • Listán Negro
  • Bastardo Tinto
  • Malvasía Rosada
  • Moscatel Negro
  • Listán Prieto
  • Negramoll
  • Tintilla
  • Vijariego Negro
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Castellana Negra

• White Grapes:
  • Albillo Criollo
  • Bastardo Blanco
  • Bermejuela
  • Vijariego
  • Doradilla
  • Burrablanca
  • Forastera Blanca
  • Gual
  • Listán Blanco
  • Malvasía Aromática
  • Moscatel de Alejandría
  • Pedro Ximénez
  • Sabro
  • Torrontés
  • Verdello

See also

In Spanish: La Palma (vino) para niños